Percussion, stringed bass instrument and guitar. Is that a jazz trio? A blues band, a rock band? Such associations are by all means justified. Yet, when we reveal that the string instrument is not a double bass, but the viola da gamba, and the guitar is not electric, but baroque, we see a different ensemble: the plucked instrument creates a chord base, percussion emphasizes rhythm, and the viola da gamba plays the solo parts. Clearly, the distribution of instruments is somewhat changed when compared to the bands of today. However, similarities appear to outweigh the differences: both ensemble types usually improvise on stage. The paradox is that at present, outside the avant-garde stream, only jazz and rock bands (labelled “entertainment”) use improvisation, whereas classical musicians completely abandoned this skill, which even for Liszt was completely natural.
Centuries ago, every musician who wanted to be recognized and appreciated had to improvise. Highly inspired performances ex tempore, that is, “without preparation”, won greater admiration than the most robust reading of the notes, considered a rather mechanical action. Group improvisations was made possible by the use of models, circulating bass formulas, or chord series. Many forms came to life: passamezza, chaconne, pasacaglia, folia... A widely known model formed a basis for the imagination to run wild. This is a passage on gamba from the middle of the seventeenth century: “When in the hands of a skilful musician, the instrument can be safely set off against the most excellent instruments. Improvising on a fixed bass formula is a proof of mastering the gamba to perfection”.
Gambist Paolo Pandolfo, accompanied by a guitarist and torbanist Thomas Boysen and drummer Alvaro Garrido revive the art of improvisation from the past. Their program will not have a single note that had been written down anywhere before. Music will become alive “here and now”, and the result will solely depend on the mood of the moment. The atmosphere created by the audience will play a key role: the musicians have a superb feeling  of how their performance is received. In the case of improvised music the audience and the artists are connected by a particularly strong bond, the type of feedback that gives all a sense of participation in something unusual and unique.